Facts about migration, integration and crime in Sweden

Simplistic and occasionally inaccurate information about migration, integration and crime in Sweden is sometimes disseminated. Here, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs looks at some common claims.

The government agencies in Sweden that are responsible for collecting data and statistics on matters such as migration, integration and crime are the Swedish Migration Agency, the Swedish public employment service, the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). The information below is therefore largely a presentation of data collected by these agencies and international organisations.

Claim: “There has been a major increase in gun violence in Sweden”

Facts: In 2017, a total of 113 cases of lethal violence were reported in Sweden. This number represents all forms of lethal violence, not only cases in which firearms were used. 113 cases is equivalent to 1.1 cases per 100 000 inhabitants. This number has fluctuated between 68 and 113 (0.71 – 1.21 per 100 000 inhabitants) since 2002. The overall trend in lethal violence was downward until 2014, with relatively large variations from year to year. Since 2015, the number of cases has remained at a higher level than in previous years.

The Swedish Police Authority started to collect data on the number of shootings in Sweden in 2017. That year saw a total of 324 shootings. In 2018, the number was 306.

The number of cases of lethal violence in which firearms were used was 17 in 2011, while the corresponding figures for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 were 33, 30, 40 and 45, respectively. Studies conducted by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) show that lethal violence using firearms has increased within the context of criminal conflicts.

Claim: “There has been a major increase in the number of reported sex offences in Sweden”

Facts: According to the Swedish Crime Survey, there has been an increase in reported sex offences over the last three years. It is important to note that sex offences comprise a broad spectrum of offences, from minor incidents to very serious incidents such as rape.

The number of rape offences reported to the police has increased over the last ten years. This can partly be explained by changes in legislation. As the definition of rape in Swedish law has broadened, it is difficult to compare the figures over time. It is also difficult to make international comparisons based on crime statistics, as many acts that are considered rape under Swedish law are not considered rape in many other countries. Furthermore, in some countries, if several offences are committed on the same occasion, only the most serious of these will be recorded. In Sweden, in principle every offence committed on a single occasion is recorded. Criminal statistics do not reflect the actual level of crime in a country, since these are influenced by legal factors and the extent to which crime is reported and how crimes are registered.

Example: If a woman in Sweden reports that she has been raped by her husband every night for a year, that is counted as 365 separate offences. In most other countries, this would be registered as one single offence, or it would not be registered as an offence at all.

Willingness to report sexual offences also differs dramatically between countries. A culture in which these crimes are talked about openly, and victims are not blamed, will also have more cases reported. Sweden has made a conscious effort to encourage women to report any offence.

Claim: “Immigrants are behind the increase in crime”

Facts: The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) has conducted two studies on the representation of people with foreign backgrounds among crime suspects, the most recent in 2005. The studies show that the majority of those suspected of crimes were born in Sweden with two Swedish-born parents. The studies also show that the vast majority of people with foreign backgrounds are not suspected of any crime. People with foreign backgrounds are suspected of crimes more often than people with Swedish backgrounds. According to the most recent study, people with foreign backgrounds are 2.5 times more likely to be suspected of crimes than people born in Sweden to Swedish-born parents.

In a study from 2013, researchers at Stockholm University showed that the main difference in terms of criminal activity between immigrants and others in the population in Sweden was due to differences in the socioeconomic conditions in which they grew up. This means factors such as parents’ incomes and the social conditions in the area in which an individual grew up.

Claim: “Swedish authorities are covering up crime statistics”

Facts: No. Swedish government agencies have nothing to gain from covering up statistics and facts. Rather, they seek an open and fact-based dialogue. Sweden is an open society governed by the principle of public access to official documents. This means that members of the public, e.g. private individuals and media representatives, have the right to insight and access to information concerning the activities of central and local government.

Claim: “In Sweden there are a number of ‘no-go zones’ where criminality and gangs have taken over and where law enforcement does not dare to go”

Facts: In a report published in June 2017, the Swedish Police Authority identified 61 areas around the country that have become increasingly exposed to crime, social unrest and insecurity. Of these 61 areas, 23 are considered particularly vulnerable. These areas are sometimes mistakenly called ‘no-go zones’.

The Swedish Police Authority identifies a ‘vulnerable area’ as a geographically defined area, characterised by a low socioeconomic status, in which criminals exert influence on the local community. This influence is linked to the social context of the area rather than reflecting a calculated intention on the part of criminals to take power and control the local community. While the Police Authority has stated that working in these vulnerable areas is often difficult, it is not the case that the police do not go into them or that Swedish law does not apply there.

Claim: “The high level of asylum seekers means that the system in Sweden is on the verge of collapse”

Facts: Sweden is not on the verge of a collapse. The Swedish economy is strong. Sweden recorded a public finance surplus in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Forecasts indicate that the surplus is set to grow until 2022. Moreover, youth unemployment has declined considerably and, in 2018, reached its lowest level in 15 years, while long-term unemployment (12 months or longer) is among the lowest in the EU.

In 2015, almost 163 000 people sought asylum in Sweden. The measures subsequently taken by the Swedish Government, including temporary identity checks and border controls, and the new temporary asylum legislation, have led to fewer asylum seekers in Sweden. The corresponding figures for asylum seekers in Sweden in 2016, 2017 and 2018 were 28 939, 25 666 and 21 502, respectively.

Claim: “Muslims will soon be in the majority in Sweden”

Facts: No. It is estimated that there are a few hundred thousand people in Sweden whose roots are in predominantly Muslim countries. But this figure says nothing about how many are religious or not.

Muslim faith communities have approximately 170 000 members. This is about 1.5 per cent of Sweden’s population. The largest faith communities are the Church of Sweden, the Pentecostal Movement and the Roman Catholic Church. Of Sweden’s ten million inhabitants, 6 million are members of the Church of Sweden.

Claim: “Sweden has suffered numerous Islamic terror attacks”

Facts: The first case of what could be termed Islamic terrorism in Sweden occurred in 2010, and the only fatality was the perpetrator.

On 7 April 2017, five people were killed and several others injured in an attack in central Stockholm. On 7 June 2018, the Stockholm District Court handed down a sentence against the person who was indicted for that offence. The defendant was found guilty of terrorist offense by murder in five cases, as well as numerous counts of attempted murder. The penalty was set to life imprisonment. The Court also decided to expel the accused from Sweden for life. In addition, the defendant was held liable to pay damages to more than one hundred victims of the attack.

Claim: “Integration does not work as well in Sweden as in other countries”

Facts: There are many ways to measure integration, one of which is to study the integration of those born abroad into the labour market. In Sweden, 69.7 per cent of people born abroad aged 20–64 are in employment, compared with an EU average of 67.1 per cent. The corresponding figure for people born in Sweden is 85.5 per cent, compared with an EU average of 73.0 per cent (Eurostat, 2017).

The high level of labour market participation among those born in Sweden – which is partly due to a high level of employment among women born in Sweden – is one reason why the differences between native-born and foreign-born workers are bigger than those in other EU Member States. Sweden has also taken in more refugees than many other EU Member States. Relative to the size of its population, Sweden has seen the largest proportion of asylum seekers in recent years. The causes of migration have an impact on how long it takes for migrants to integrate into the labour market. A refugee has a longer path to employment than a migrant worker, for example. The level of education of those who immigrate also plays a role.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which is an intergovernmental organisation with 35 member countries, considers that Sweden has a well-developed policy for reception and integration. Nonetheless, the OECD highlights the fact that the shortage of housing postpones integration activities, and that more newly arrived immigrants need access to early intervention during the asylum process. Sweden faces challenges associated with providing activities to help newly arrived women and new arrivals with lower levels of education, in particular, to integrate into working and community life.

Sweden comes out at the top of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX), which compares integration policy in 38 countries. The index consists of 167 indicators in eight policy areas: labour market mobility, education, political participation, family reunion, access to nationality, health, long-term residence and anti-discrimination. Sweden scores particularly highly on labour market aspects and the rights and measures to which migrants have access. The latest MIPEX survey was conducted in 2014.

In the last few years, the Government has implemented reforms and provided additional funds with a view to improving new arrivals’ integration into working and community life. This includes fast tracks into the labour market for new arrivals with experience in shortage occupations, an education and training obligation for new arrivals deemed in need of such measures to find a job, and a new regulatory framework clarifying what is required of the individual. The Government has also provided additional funds to municipalities and county councils to improve and reinforce their preparedness and capacity to receive new arrivals. Under a new act on the reception for settlement of certain newly arrived immigrants, all municipalities are obliged to resettle the new arrivals assigned to them; this aims to ensure that new arrivals can settle more rapidly and begin the process of integration. In addition, a new structure has been introduced for measures during the asylum application process, including skills assessment and increased funding for measures via civil society.